


flowers between your fingers

by fromthefarshore



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Fluff, M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 08:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4952746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromthefarshore/pseuds/fromthefarshore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flower shop AU where Kuroo knows nothing about flowers.<br/><i></i><br/>"We've known each other for a while now," Kenma furrows his eyebrows, "But it's the first time we're going on actual date."<br/>"So?"<br/>Kenma takes a deep breath and grunts silently. Hinata grins wider.<br/>"What's the story?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	flowers between your fingers

"So," Hinata smiles widely, closing his 3DS and looking at Kenma, "what he's like?"

Kenma weights the possibility of pretending that he doesn't know what Hinata is talking about, but the image of dark haired young man with a grin comes to his mind and his fingers freeze for a moment, his character getting some damage. He sighs and stops the game, looking at Hinata.

"He's..." Kenma thinks for a moment, his eyes wandering to the shelf where a little dried flower is, and feels how his lips corners want to rise, "he's nice," he says and looks away, shrugging his shoulders.

Hinata laughs loudly, falling on his back and staring at glittering marks on the ceiling. He's asked Kenma about it before, all the ceiling in Kenma's room is covered with some glitter that shines just a little bit during the day, but at night, when the room is dark with only the slightest dim light coming from a tiny sleeping lamp, it looks like starry sky. It makes him feel calmer, Kenma explained back then, it makes his room feel more spacious and not that suffocating even though it's barely big enough to put a futon on the floor for Hinata to sleep.

"He must be something for you to agree to go on a _date_ with him after barely knowing each other," Hinata takes a deep breath, but Kenma is staying silent. He looks at Kenma, narrowing his eyes, then sits up and tilts his head to catch blond boy's glare, "Kenma?"

Kenma sighs, locking his eyes with Hinata, then lowering them and sighing again as if it's such a burden to explain everything.

"We've known each other for a while now," he furrows his eyebrows, starting to play with the hem of his T-shirt, "Since grandma's birthday. But it's the first time we're going on actual date."

"So?"

Kenma takes a deep breath and grunts silently. Hinata grins wider.

"What's the story?"

-

Kenma exists the station and stops briefly, closing his eyes. He remembers seeing a flower shop somewhere around and tries to draw a map in his head, checking the spot he's at now and connecting it to where the shop is supposed to be. He opens his eyes and turns right, walking down the street just for a few minutes until he sees a bunch of flower pots on the corner, all lined up on the ground and little shelves around the entrance to the shop. There was a nice silver haired woman with a wide smile watering the plants when he walked past the shop the last time, and Kenma decided that it's better to come here than the flower shop in Shinjuku station where his mom at first suggested going. Kenma would rather talk to that woman that somehow reminded him of a soft owl than to some part-time jobber in Shinjuku station. He nods to himself. The shop looks rather old and not fancy at all. Just a small cosy place, and Kenma decides that the woman probably has always loved flowers so much she wanted to have her own little shop.

It's perfect, he thinks. His grandmother will be happy to get a birthday gift from such a place, from such a woman; she will be happy to get flowers filled not only with his love but with warmth of such a lovely place, Kenma smiles to himself, nodding again.

"Welcome," a rich, a bit deep voice reaches Kenma's ears when he enters the shop and he freezes, holding his breath. That's definitely not the voice he was imagining to hear; he looks around in search of gentle features and silver hair, but instead is met with raised eyebrows, dark mop of hair almost covering the right eye and sticking up to all directions on the left side, leaving the forehead visible and making Kenma wonder what kind of hairstyle it is. He thinks about his own hair for a moment and decides that he can't really say anything about the young man's decision to comb his hair in some strange way when he himself has stopped caring about his black roots months ago.

"Can I help you?" the man asks, wearing a soft smile, but there's a strange shadow in his eyes, and Kenma's not sure if he wants to ask for help. He briefly scans the small shop, trying to find a pot with flowers he looked up the images of before coming here. There's nothing similar though, and he takes a deep breath, bringing his eyes back to the tall figure standing next to a small counter.

"Um, I was looking for flowers," he starts and notices how the man tenses just a slightly bit, "Can I find..." he furrows his eyebrows, then takes a phone from his pocket and looks at the screen where a note he made before shows up when he clicks the button, "the plant called hibiscus here? I don't see it anywhere," he shoves his phone back in the pocket and lowers his head a bit, waiting for reply.

"Hi... Hibiscus?" the man repeats in a low voice, and Kenma nods a bit even though he's not sure if the question is directed at him or the man is muttering to himself, "I... Um, let me check that," he laughs, a slight note of nervousness hiding somewhere under the pleasant sound of that laughter. "Hibiscus. Got that. Just a moment."

It seems as if it's the first time he hears the name and Kenma lets out a deep sigh, lifting his head to look around more carefully when the man disappears behind the opened sliding doors near the counter. He gets distracted by a small figure of a cat, eyeing it while trying to decide which breed it is when he hears the man's voice again.

"I am terribly sorry, but I, um... I can't find it myself, even though it is on the list and," he takes a deep breath, looking away, and Kenma's quite sure he's just heard the man whisper that it's embarrassing, "I checked the pictures of how it is supposed to look, but I am really... not good with flowers," he says, a bit fake laugh escaping his lips. "I am helping here because the owner went on holidays, so... Do you mind if I make a call?" he asks, his eyes widening as if he has just come with this idea now, and a genuine smile curls at his lips when Kenma nods, albeit a bit confused. "I am really sorry. It will take just a second. The cat figure you were looking at is Oriental shorthair, by the way. My favourite. There are more on the shelves behind you too," he smiles wider, then bows slightly and takes his phone, "Excuse me."

What a strange guy, Kenma thinks as he turns around to look at the other figures of cats, hardly suppressing a deep sigh when he thinks what he has gotten himself into. 

"Hey, Bokuto. Um, can you get your mom on the phone? Yeah, I don't have the number since I changed the phone," the man laughs, then clears his throat, his voice going more serious, "Hello? It is Kuroo. A customer asked for hibiscus, but even though it is on the list, I fail to find it anywhere."

Kenma hears the man, Kuroo, he notes the easy name, walk to the other corner of the shop, and casts a glare.

"I do not see it," the man says after checking behind bigger pots, "Yes, I am sure. They all look really different from what this one is supposed to look like. Oh no, it is okay, please do not worry, I am glad I can help. I am sorry for bothering. Okay. Thank you. Goodbye," he ends the call and takes a deep breath, bringing his eyes to Kenma and bowing slightly.

"I am sorry, it seems that the plant you are looking for is sold," he says in that serious tone of his. Kenma shakes his head.

"It's fine," he mutters, but a silent sigh escapes his lips. He looks around again, thinking what to do. His grandmother loves flowers and even though a pot of rather plain flowers might be nothing very special it seemed to be the best present. He did a bit of searching before, and found out that hibiscus' meaning is "gentle" which fit his grandmother perfectly. 

"Is there anything else I could help you with?" Kuroo asks with a note of hesitance in his voice, "I mean, I might not know the names of flowers, but," he takes a deep breath, then opens his mouth again to continue, but changes his mind and closes it again, staying silent for a moment before bowing again, "I am sorry."

He seems to be as clueless about flowers as Kenma himself, and for a second Kenma gets irritated for not getting the help he needs here. But then he realises that precisely because of that now he feels so relaxed around the man, still standing in front of him instead of running away in fear of not understanding which name belongs to which flower when trying to choose a new gift.

"It's fine," he says again, "I... Could you still help me?" he asks and Kuroo straightens up, blinking at him.

"Um. Sure? If you can call that help," he smiles guiltily, and it makes Kenma's lips twirl into a slight beam, too. "What are you looking for? Well, besides the fact that you came here for that one."

"A present for my grandmother. It's her birthday today and she loves flowers," Kenma says and Kuroo nods a few times, at the same time looking around, "It has to be in the pot though," he adds and Kuroo smiles.

"Okay. Let's look for nice flower pots and then check if they don't have any weird meanings. Sounds like a plan?" he asks, and Kenma nods.

"Okay."

They spend a few minutes looking around, and finally decide on little full yellow flowers surrounded by lots of thin dark green leaves. There is a small card on it, saying _carnation_. Kuroo takes out his phone, his fingers moving fast over the keyboard and scrolling until he finds what he's been looking for.

He takes a deep breath, then puts the phone back to the pocket, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Disappointed."

Kenma looks at Kuroo, then back at the flower.

"Did you check Japanese meaning? Not Western?" he asks and Kuroo nods, "Right colour?"

"Yellow is the only one with negative meaning. Others are all about love," Kuroo scowls, "Why would anyone buy a flower with such meaning?"

"There are many people who don't care about meanings," Kenma shrugs, "It's beautiful. I would buy it for myself but I can't take care of flowers," he sighs, "Bad meaning doesn't make it any worse, just... I don't want my grandmother to misunderstand..."

Kuroo nods slowly, then takes the pot and puts it back on the shelf.

"There are also a few more flowers in there," Kuroo points to sliding doors, "If you want to take a look."

-

Talk about flowers filled with warmth of that nice woman, Kenma thinks, holding a pot of little white anemone flowers. Truth, expectation and hope sound like nice meanings, Kenma smiles, and he decides that everything they put into looking for this flower might be even more than just the shopkeeper's warmth.

Kuroo insisted on giving him a discount, which Kenma knows Kuroo'll have to pay from his own pocket. It's an apology for bad service, he told back then, but however Kenma thinks, he can't - or maybe don't want to - call it bad service. It wasn't that polite, at least not all the time, Kenma snickers to himself, but it felt good, it was nice and warm in some way, and Kenma felt more like choosing flowers with a friend rather than shop worker. Kuroo might not be good at flower names and meanings, he would point to the flower he likes instead of giving Kenma a difficult name and leaving him to figure what he's talking about himself, and Kenma doesn't even know why exactly he's working there, but the flower pot in his hands looks more beautiful than he's ever seen before. The pot is wrapped in furoshiki, and Kenma still remembers the way Kuroo's fingers moved, knowing exactly how to fold, where to tie, how to make the most beautiful part of ornaments to be visible, but not too much. He also put a little stick in the soil, the top of it decorated with two miniature lean cats sitting next to each other. There's a card put in the narrow space between their tails and bodies, "Happy birthday" written in neat, beautiful handwriting of Kuroo. There are also a couple more cards put into a little envelope so that Kenma can write something himself if he doesn't want to keep the stranger's message, but later on he finds it too difficult to throw Kuroo's card away, so he simply adds "Grandma" at the end of the message and scribbles "From Kenma" on the corner. 

He feels like his grandmother should know he didn't work alone on this and, when he gives the present to her, she smiles that warm gentle smile of hers, saying "Thank you", and Kenma knows he made a good choice. He also knows that a little part of that "Thank you" belongs to someone else, and somehow he feels that person needs to know it too.

-

Kenma stops in front of the flower shop and focuses his glare on the flowers outside, hesitating if he should go inside. He doesn't even know if Kuroo remembers him even though it's been only two days. If anything, he can always say he was just having a walk and ended up here or that he needed some flowers for whatever reason. He lifts his eyes and is met with Kuroo who's looking at him from the other side of the glass. Kuroo smiles, then raises his hand to wave, coming to open the door. Kenma sighs internally and opens the door himself, slightly nodding his head in greeting.

"Welcome! Did your grandmother like the flower?" Kuroo asks, making Kenma smile.

"Yes, very much. Thank you again," he says, for a moment directing his eyes to Kuroo, "Actually, I came here to tell that the 'Thank you' I got from my grandmother was also meant for you," Kenma gets surprised at how easily the words flow and how Kuroo blinks at him, a wide yet a little bit contained smile appearing on his face.

"I didn't really do anything," he says after a moment, "You didn't have to come here for that," he adds silently, locking their eyes. Kenma slightly furrows his eyebrows at the dark glimmering eyes that somehow don't make him feel uncomfortable even when Kuroo shrugs, a playful smile lighting up his face, "Even though I do appreciate it."

Kenma shrugs because there's nothing good he could say; he realises he doesn't want to pretend that he came here for something else and explain himself. Partly because he doesn't like lying in general, partly because the vibes he's getting from Kuroo tell him that it wouldn't work anyway. He looks around the shop again, taking notice of more little details, of all the little figures of cats on the shelves, of little owls drawn in some places. He lets out a hum, a little smile twirling at his lips when he sees a childish drawing of a cat and an owl with a big heart around them, 'TETSU" and 'KOUTA' written one under the other with big characters 'ROU' ending both of the names and connecting them. 

"Koutarou, the son of the owner drew this years ago," Kuroo explains even though Kenma didn't ask. He comes closer and points to the owl, "this guy here is him, and this," his finger moves to the cat, then he pulls his hand away and touches his own chest, "is me."

"It's very nice," Kenma comments, and Kuroo lets out a laugh. His laughter is one of those that everyone likes, sounding a little bit like music, and Kenma thinks if he had a habit to catch and mimic someone else's laugh, he would choose to laugh like this.

"We've been living next to each other forever; that's why I'm left here to, um, take care," he says and when Kenma looks at him, Kuroo's smiling sheepishly. "More like ruining the business."

Kenma laughs despite himself because as much as Kuroo doesn't know a thing about flowers, he's got something else in him, be it simple charisma or some other skill that Kenma can't figure out just yet. 

"You're doing okay," he says, then takes a deep breath, "I was always wondering if everyone at flower shops knows all the flowers and meanings behind them. It sounded unbelievable, and here you proved me right."

Kuroo laughs again, and it's so unprofessional, so casual; that's not how one's supposed to communicate with customers, but Kenma doesn't mind. He enjoys it a little bit, he feels like getting some energy from this man in front of him, opposite to all the robotic service he gets anywhere he goes, his energy being sucked out of him as if it was fuel for the robots to move.

It makes him want to talk more, even though he never thought he could feel like this with a total stranger.

"You should see Bokuto. He's even more hopeless even though it's his mother who owns the shop," Kuroo puts his hands on his hips and lets out a heavy, somehow relieved sigh, "Thank you for coming here. Not that many people come here and being alone is awfully boring. Sorry if I said too much, bad habit," he waves his hand, slightly bowing his head.

"It's no problem," Kenma says, shaking his head. "It was... Kind of refreshing?" he offers a small smile and Kuroo smiles back, but doesn't say anything. "Um, can I get one of these?" Kenma points to faint red flowers near the counter. 

"Of course," Kuroo walks to a vase and takes out one flower, showing it to Kenma. He nods his approval, and Kuroo walks behind the counter. "What kind of wrapping would you like?"

"The simple paper is fine," he points to the one big roll of wrapping paper behind Kuroo.

"No need to check the meaning?"

Kenma shakes his head, "I'm just buying it for myself, I don't care what it means."

Kuroo nods, swiftly wrapping the flower. He doesn't make a discount this time, and it makes Kenma feel a little bit better. 

-

The flower doesn't wither for the whole week, and there's a faint sweet smell coming from it that makes Kenma smile. He decides to dry it, and even though it's not a rose and it's not alive, Kenma feels a little bit like the Little Prince. He thinks a bit about it, remembering the story about Little Prince and the fox that taught him how to domesticate her. He wonders if that works with cats, too.

-

Kenma bumps into Kuroo a few days later on his way to university. It's just a few streets away from the flower shop, but Kenma still wasn't expecting to actually see Kuroo around.

"Sorry," Kuroo mutters, then looks at Kenma and his eyes widen a little bit, "Oh! Fancy meeting you here." 

Kenma nods and Kuroo furrows his eyebrows. 

"What brings you here this time? Need more flowers?" he laughs silently, stepping a bit to the side not to bother other people and leaning against the vending machine. Kenma stands next to him, and points to the T-shirt he's wearing under the jumper. White letters make up "Nekoma" and a small emblem is under it.

"I go to university here," he says and Kuroo grins widely.

"I go to same uni! Not the main camp though. Lucky you," he sighs, "Can't believe I never saw you before. Which year are you?"

"Second," he mutters and Kuroo's eyes light up.

"I'm one year your senior."

Kenma shrugs.

"I don't really care about these things. What does it matter when you were born," he takes out his phone and checks the time, "I need to go. Don't want to be late for first class of the semester."

"Right," Kuroo laughs, "Oh, wait. We never really introduced ourselves, did we? Kuroo Tetsurou."

"Kozume Kenma," he mutters. "I really need to go. Goodbye."

"Hey, Kenma," Kuroo calls him and Kenma blinks at how natural it sounds, at how Kuroo caught up so fast and went straight for his given name instead of family name. He lifts his eyes to look at Kuroo's face and he's smiling. "Drop by the shop some time?"

Kenma lets out a puff.

"Sure."

-

When they go separate ways, Kenma sees a black cat at the university gates and leans down to pet him. It makes him smile a bit as it reminds him of Kuroo's hair, and abruptly he realises that Kuroo's not the fox from the Little Prince type. 

Kenma himself is.

-

Lev persuades Kenma to walk together to Book Off to get a volleyball manga that someone from his class mentioned to be really good. When afterwards they go to Tozai line exit that is closest to the Book Off, Kenma stops, telling Lev that he forgot to check on cats in the campus and he's not sure if anyone else in their taking care of university cats circle did that, so he will go back and later take JR, as usual. Lev asks if he needs any help, then shrugs after Kenma's shake of head, and says his goodbyes.

There are quite a few ways to go from this exit to the university campus, but Kenma chooses the one that goes past the flower shop.

When he opens the door to the shop, a cheerful sweet voice welcomes him and he's met with the silver haired woman.

"May I help?" she asks, smiling, and Kenma furrows his eyebrows because Kuroo, who asked him to come, is nowhere to be seen. He takes a breath.

"I'm sorry, is Kuroo around?" His voice sounds a bit silent, but the woman hears it and slightly bows.

"He is done for today, but you can still catch him if you wait a few minutes. He went to get his things."

"Thank you," Kenma slowly nods. He thinks about leaving, but decides not to and waits instead, looking at the flowers. Kuroo comes back after a short while, filling the shop with his laughter while exchanging a couple of words with the shopkeeper at the counter. He says goodbye to her, and only when he steps through the sliding doors he greets Kenma. He points his finger down and then to the outside instead of asking Kenma directly, and Kenma takes his hand out from the pocket to point outside. Kuroo smiles, and they both exit the shop.

"So you still work there even when the shopkeeper is back?" Kenma asks when they close the door.

"Well," Kuroo shrugs, "It's not a real job, I guess? I mean, I was taking care of the whole shop for a little while but usually I simply stick around when I have time and help with wrappings, cards and such," he waves his hand as if it's no big deal and Kenma hums.

"I can see why," he mutters, remembering the way Kuroo's fingers worked around the flowers, and Kuroo laughs, but doesn't say anything about it. They walk down the street in silence for a little while, and Kenma starts thinking why is he even here. 

"Where are you heading?" Kuroo asks when they stop at the crossing. 

"To check if cats have food," he mutters, used to people not taking his circle activity seriously. Even though he tries not to care what people think and the only purpose of joining the circle was to spend time alone with cats, he doesn't like the wry smiles that threaten to appear on their faces. Kuroo's eyes lit up though, and he doesn't move even when the light turns green.

"Cats?"

Kenma carefully nods. "I'm in the circle that takes care of cats in the main campus."

" _What_?" Kuroo blinks at him, then groans, "There's a circle like this in uni? Why am I not a member!"

"It's a small one, we don't have a booth during university festival," he mutters as if trying to reason why Kuroo doesn't know about the club, "there's not that much information either."

Kuroo grunts, shoving his hands in the pockets, and starts walking again.

"Hey," he turns his head to Kenma, "You're going to main camp, right? Can I go see the cats too? I'm meeting at the co-op store with a friend, but he tends to be late."

Kenma nods, and Kuroo smiles.

-

Kuroo decides he wants to join the circle and Kenma gives him the name of the circle's twitter account.

-

He gets a notification that "kuro" started following him on twitter, and gets a direct message when he follows him back. It says that he found Kenma's twitter in circle's followers list. Kenma thinks for a while, then decides to reply and continue on chatting.

-

In a couple of weeks Kenma more or less knows Kuroo's schedule for working at the shop and going through the spots where cats usually are gathered, and mindlessly starts following it a bit. 

He stays with cats a bit longer again when he knows Kuroo's supposed to show up, and gets to see his lips twirl into a grin.

"Hey, Kenma," he waves his hand, coming closer and squatting down next to Kenma. 

"Kuro," Kenma mutters, acknowledging him, and Kuroo looks at him, his eyes screwed up a bit. It's the first time Kenma says his name and for a second Kenma thinks if he should have waited more.

"Kuro? Too lazy to say it until the end with double o?" Kuroo's expression changes to his usual face, and he giggles, "Hey, Onion," his hand reaches for a white with big dark brown dots cat at Kenma's side, and strokes the soft fur.

"If you don't bother to fully write 'Kuroo' on twitter yourself, I don't need to do it either, right?" Kenma shrugs. Besides, simply Kuro sounds somehow nicer, it's softer and less intimidating, but he keeps those reasons to himself.

Kuroo grins, letting out a deep hum.

"Why not the first name then? Thought you don't care about who's older and such."

"Tetsurou?" Kenma furrows his eyebrows, thinking, "Kuro is easier, it fits you. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. No one calls me like this, that's it," he smiles and Kenma nods, hugging his knees and resting his head on them. Ginger cat stands up and circles around him, the tip of her tail brushing his nose. Kenma sneezes and Kuroo breaks into laughter. Kenma glares at him, but the look in Kuroo's eyes is warm, there's no mockery in the curl of his lips. It's a genuine happy laughter, and it makes Kenma's expression soften.

"Hey, Kenma," Kuroo stands up when the cat leaves, and extends his arm to Kenma, "Want to drop by the flower shop? There's something I want to give you, and Bokuto said he's trying to bake apple pie today, so we could steal a few pieces and go to the shrine on the corner," he smiles. Kenma takes his hand and stands up. He doesn't have any reasons to decline, and the mention of apple pie almost makes his stomach growl as he can almost taste the sweetness on his tongue. He's not entirely sure if it's okay to do it, he doesn't even know Bokuto, but Kuroo looks at him with expectation, and there's no way Kenma could say no.

"Sure," he mutters, and Kuroo's smile widens.

-

When they reach flower shop, it's already closed for the day. Kuroo gives Kenma a grin, then takes the keys from his pocket and unlocks the door.

"Is it really okay?"

Kuroo nods, "Don't worry, everything's fine. Bokuto's mom is like my own too." He opens the door and in a loud voice says, "I'm back."

The woman Kenma now knows as someone's named Bokuto Koutarou mother comes from the back room moments later. Kenma remembers seeing another door in the little room behind counter and wonders if it's connected to apartment. 

"Tetsurou? Welcome back. Oh, hello," her eyes meet Kenma's and she smiles, then looks back at Kuroo, "Are you coming in? Koutarou went out with Keiji just a while ago."

"I guess we will also go out while it is still not that dark," Kuroo smiles, "Bokuto said he was baking a pie, so I thought we could grab a couple of pieces? How did it turn out?"

The woman laughs, covering her mouth with a hand.

"It would have been a disaster if not for Keiji," she shakes her head, her eyes full of warmth, "It's quite tasty, though. Just a moment, I will bring you some." 

When she turns around and leaves, Kenma looks at Kuroo.

"Why do you always call him Bokuto and not Koutarou?"

"It somehow stuck," Kuroo shrugs, then laughs silently, "And he loves it, he's crazy about owls, so being called what reminds of Great Horned Owl makes him happy." Kenma hums, nodding. "Um, wait a second, I'll go grab something," Kuroo walks behind the sliding door, and Kenma decides to look around the shop once again. It's really cosy here, and the atmosphere feels nice, it has some kind of calming effect on him, and he wonders maybe he should try taking care of a couple of plants himself.

He hears the doors open and Kuroo talking to Bokuto's mother again. It seems that she packed not only pie, but also some tea for them, and Kuroo's telling her that she's the best and Bokuto should learn more from her. The woman laughs, and Kenma also smiles. 

He feels somehow welcome here, he feels like he fits in and he's not afraid of what they think of him. 

-

The pie is delicious and the lukewarm tea warms Kenma's body a little bit, letting him enjoy the evening. It's getting dark, but there is a huge lantern next to the bench they're sitting on. 

"You should tell Bokuto that the apple pie is amazing. And thank you."

"Okay. Oh, but it will make his pride even higher," Kuroo snickers to himself, then takes a deep breath. "Hey, there's something I want to give you."

Kenma looks at him taking the bag he took from the shop. There seems to be a little box inside, and Kenma frowns.

"Don't give me that face," Kuroo laughs, then takes out the box. There's a small pot with tiny cactus in it; the pot is decorated with mizuhiki, a colourful twine tied in knots that Kenma doesn't remember the exact meaning of. He knows about the meaning of mizuhiki in general though, about it being a symbol of togetherness, warmth and affection, and, even though probably Kuroo just decorated it like this for no big reason, it makes his heart swell. 

"You said you can't take care of flowers, but cactus is a bit different. You don't need to do much to keep it living," Kuroo touches the plant, carefully brushing the tips of its thorns with his fingers, "I found it growing with the cactus I have myself, and Bokuto's mom helped me separate them to let this guy grow big, too," he laughs, looking at Kenma, "I've been taking care of it for a while, so it's not going to wither. If you don't care about meanings, would you give him new home?" 

Kenma giggles at how dramatic Kuroo sounds and gets a laugh in reply.

"So, what do you say?"

"I... I want to keep it," Kenma says, smiling, because he really wants to bring it back home. This tiny cactus somehow makes him think of their relationship, of how they've been brought together by simple flowers and ended up getting close. It's like a little symbol of that togetherness they have, and Kenma wishes to let it grow bigger and stronger.

-

On his way back home Kenma checks the meaning of cactus, just because Kuroo mentioned it, and has to lower his head to hide his face that suddenly feels very warm.

The meanings of the flower of cactus are about undying love, warm feelings, some of them even include lust, and even though the cactus he got doesn't have any flowers Kenma finds himself wondering if it will ever bloom.

When he goes to bed that night, he stays up looking at the ceiling for a long while, and thinks what it would be like to look at the starry sky with Kuroo. He would probably come up with silly stories about the stars, and would talk about Bokuto and their childhood, and would ask Kenma about Hinata, about Lev, about all the little things he's ever mentioned. It would be fun, he decides, because being with Kuroo somehow always is, and when suddenly an image of Kuroo meowing back at the cat comes to his mind, despite himself Kenma lets out a silent laugh.

-

The autumn slowly starts colouring the city, the slight chill coming together with colourful leaves and Halloween decorations making Kenma take out his a bit warmer sweater, and even Kuroo, who's usually not cold, starts wearing a thicker vest over his T-shirt. 

They meet at Harajuku station, walking down the street to get crepes with ice cream - Kenma makes sure to choose the one with apple pie in it, and notices how Kuroo smiles at him, a slight glint in his eyes, when he pays for both of them. It's a day after Kenma's birthday and he told Kuroo not to get him anything, so Kuroo asked to at least let him take him out for crepes. Kenma met with some of his groupmates and friends yesterday, had dinner with his family, and in the evening video called with Hinata who couldn't make it to Tokyo, so he couldn't meet Kuroo, but here they are now, and Kenma smiles. Today, and the whole month from now, he's going to be the same age as Kuroo, and somehow that's a little bit exciting. 

They finish the crepes - Kenma says he can't eat it while walking - and decide to go to Yoyogi park; the weather is great and even though it's too early for autumn leaves, Kuroo says that according to Bokuto's mother there are still some roses blooming there if Kenma wants to see more colours. 

"Do you ever wonder what would it be like to be blind?" Kenma asks when he looks down at yellow marks on the pavement that indicate the way. Kuroo looks down, thinking, then turns to Kenma.

"I have no idea. Let's try that," he stops on the yellow line and closes his eyes, carefully taking a few steps. "Hey, Kenma? Where are you?" he extends his hand to the side, almost touching someone walking past him. 

"Kuro, please stop it, people are giving us looks."

"Then help me, give me your hand?" Kuroo tries taking another step. Kenma lets out a sigh, then takes Kuroo's hand in his and starts walking. Kuroo keeps his eyes closed, even though he stumbles a couple of times. He doesn't look bothered by it the slightest bit, it seems as if he's living in his own world where opinions of strangers don't reach him. Kenma turns his head to see the little smile on Kuroo's face, and lets out a puff. That's a side of him that Kenma admires, and suddenly he realises that this simple indifference to people's judgment is what he has always wanted himself.

"It's super difficult, I can't do it," Kuroo opens his eyes and looks at Kenma, "Do you want to try?"

"No, I believe you," he smiles and Kuroo laughs, nodding. He doesn't pull out his hand though, but Kenma doesn't mind.

It's warm, it makes him feel cosy, and even though he notices a few people glaring at them holding hands, he's with Kuroo. And somehow all those glares simply don't matter.

They let go only when they stop at the entrance of the park to look at someone playing and clap after the song is finished. They listen to another song, then wander to the park, slowly walking around. A few huge crows are jumping on the ground, and Kenma giggles to himself.

"They remind me of Shouyou," he explains when Kuroo asks, "He used to go to Karasuno school, it's in Miyagi prefecture, and volleyball club there. Everyone called them crows," there's a fond smile full of memories on his face, "He's coming to visit me next weekend."

"He stayed there?"

Kenma nods, "He decided that he fits in Miyagi better. And he can still come to Tokyo whenever he wants, he's always welcome," he puts his hands to the pockets, and his fingers find a keychain he's got from Hinata the last time they met.

"You sound like awfully good friends," Kuroo hums, "He also seems a bit like smaller version of Bokuto, except less pouting," he laughs and Kenma joins him, nodding. He met Bokuto a couple of times and really, there's the same glittering in his eyes, the same energy and determination that Kenma knows so well from Hinata.

"True," he mutters, then in a bit lower voice adds, "I'm really glad we met." He says it about Hinata, but somewhere in these words Kuroo hides, too. "So, what about those roses?"

"Oh, it's that way," Kuroo points his finger somewhere to the left, "Let's go see them."

It's a bit of mystery how full and rich coloured the roses are. Kenma takes a photo of it to send it to Hinata, and Kuroo sends a silly snapchat to Bokuto, laughing when he gets Bokuto's pouting face in reply. Kenma makes a note to himself to suggest Hinata getting a snapchat too; he would probably enjoy it to no end.

There's a bit of nostalgic look on Kuroo's face when he keeps his eyes on the flowers for a bit longer. It's not sad though, it's rather warm as if he's thinking about something nice. It stays like this all the way until they go to the fountain and sit there to rest in the sunlight. A crow is playing with the stream of water in the fountain and Kenma's eyes stay on the bird for a while. He hears Kuroo opening his backpack and when he looks at him Kenma sees him taking out a pen. He raises his eyebrows in question.

"Can I?" Kuroo reaches for Kenma's hand and gently takes it when Kenma nods, feeling a bit confused. He places Kenma's hand on his knee, taking one of his fingers between his. Kuroo draws a little flower on a tip of it and laughs. He laughs that musical laugh of his, and Kenma feels his cheeks getting warmer.

"What is this?" he snorts and Kuroo shrugs.

"You can wash it off if you want," he says, but the smile never leaves his face. Kenma thinks for a moment, looking at his fingers, then shoves his hand in the pocket.

"It's cute," he mutters and leans back, taking a deep breath. He closes his eyes to the sun, and feels how Kuroo takes his other hand and starts drawing another flower on his pinkie.

It tickles a bit, but Kenma likes it. 

-

Kenma doesn't wash it off, and even the next day he can see faded out flowers on his fingers.

-

"Hey, it totally _was_ a date!" Hinata yells and Kenma shoots him a glare, making him cover his mouth, "Oops. Too loud. But still," he nearly whispers and Kenma shrugs.

"We never called it a date, so I'm not sure if it counts," he shrugs, then a small beam appears on his face.

"I can't believe I've lived years without knowing about Kuroo," Hinata pouts, and Kenma lets out a sigh, followed by a short giggle.

"Only a few weeks," he corrects Hinata who rolls his eyes, "and I'm telling you everything now, I wanted to say it in person anyway," he smiles, then stands up, "Do you want to play some more games?"

Hinata smiles, nodding, and gets on his feet.

"One thing before that, though," he grins and Kenma looks at him, "How did he do that?"

Kenma turns away, but Hinata can still see him blush, and it makes a genuinely happy smile settle on his face. He looks away though, his eyes searching for the tiny cactus instead; he feels like he's intruding Kenma's little world if he looks directly at him, he feels like it's Kuroo who at this moment should look at Kenma.

"It was the same day," Kenma finally says and Hinata can hear the smile in his friend's voice. Kenma lets out a sigh and laughs silently, "He simply asked."

-

"Hey, Kenma?" Kuroo turns to him when they stop to look at hurrying trains below them. It's not really that interesting, looking at light green trains disappear under the bridge they're standing on, they're not even that fast as it's close to the station, but it's the last stop before going home, it's the last place where they can talk while looking at each other before going to the station, catching different trains and turning to messaging online, so it doesn't matter. Kenma looks at Kuroo instead, that warm look in his eyes and faint smile on his lips, and it's strange, he thinks. It's strange how well they fit each other, how knowing each other for those few weeks feels like they've been at each other's side for eternity, how everything just feels so right. 

Kuroo takes a deep breath, and his beam breaks into a full smile that Kenma came to like so much.

"Will you go on a real date with me?"

Kenma smiles, and he realises he's been waiting for Kuroo to ask that. He looks him into the eyes and nods.

"I'd love to."

\---

Every time Kenma slips his hand into Kuroo's, Kuroo feels like there are flowers between his fingers. They feel better than real ones, though, they're warm, they respond beautifully to every little squeeze he gives and they never, never fade. 

Kenma himself is like some kind of special flower too, and Kuroo grins because there's always one thing he wants to do when he's holding a flower. 

And so he wraps Kenma, he wraps him in the warmth of his arms and holds him close. It suits him and Kuroo adores him like this the best; he likes the soft laugh that escapes Kenma's lips and a gentle kiss he gets on the cheek. 

"Kuro, you're embarrassing," Kenma mutters just like every single time, and slightly pushes Kuroo away, a smile never leaving his face. "Stop it," he says, but the thing is, he never, never means it. 

And that - that both of them know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I'm thinking about possibility of second part of the story, but as for now, this is it. I hope you enjoyed it.  
> Also, that circle is a real thing and Onion is a real cat!
> 
> If anyone's interested, you can find the story about Little Prince and the fox [here](http://www.angelfire.com/hi/littleprince/framechapter21.html)
> 
> Please check [this lovely art](http://wingedsheep-art.tumblr.com/post/134482867633/from-the-flowers-between-your-fingers-by) for the story!! Thank you so much for drawing this, it's absolutely amazing!!  
> I'm always so interested how everyone imagines things I write about, so it's super fun to see it!^^


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